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Union Street makeover just a tease

The 600 block of North Union Street in Wilmington went is going through a very short-lived makeover this week to show the city and the surrounding neighborhood the potential of the block to be more pedestrian- and entertainment-friendly.

WILMINGTON — Curious passersby this week took seats during the lunch hour on the street in front of the Dead Presidents Pub & Restaurant to enjoy some burgers and drinks, while others admired the art adorning the walls of a nearby parking lot.

The 600 block of N. Union St. went through a very short-lived makeover this week to show the city and the surrounding neighborhood the potential of the block to be more pedestrian- and entertainment-friendly.

The University of Delaware and West Side Grows Together – a group of residents working to revitalize the neighborhood – have worked together to transform the area for the Better Block Project.

The project is part of a nationwide program used by groups in different cities to temporarily change a block's appearance to show its redevelopment potential. The groups also use the temporary makeovers to observe responses to the changes.

Aimee Lala, one of the local project's leaders and an official with housing nonprofit Cornerstone West, said the changes made to the North Union block were based on neighborhood resident suggestions.

"They wanted a narrower street, a wider sidewalk, slower traffic, outdoor seating and some more greenery," she said. "Through some really charitable donations from organizations in the community, we were able to get that."

The Better Block effort, which started Monday and ended Wednesday night, closed one of North Union's three lanes to make ample room for outdoor seating. The groups in the program then spray-painted art on the road and installed potted plant. They also drew angled parking spots next to the area with the outside seating.

"We actually measured it according to what the standard is. Angled parking naturally slows down traffic when they see people trying to go out and back in," Lala said. "When we did the count and we actually measured it out, it actually adds spaces over parallel parking.

"It's at the expense of one traffic lane, but again I don't think that's going to impact the volume of traffic we have."

While it would be a few years before the changes to North Union ever became permanent, most of the Better Block projects end up staying later, Lala said.

North Union in Little Italy, which is lined with bars, restaurants, bakeries and shops, is an untapped entertainment and nightlife spot, Lala said. The area's walkability is also underplayed, she said.

Improvements from the Better Block changes and other projects on North Union could turn the area into a new "it" spot for Wilmington, Lala said.

"Studies have shown that millennials want a walkable community. They want to be able to walk to the corner store. They want to be able to walk to the restaurants," she said. "We know we have the bones of all that here on Union Street, so we want to show people the long-term goals we have for this community."

Lala said the changes also could improve safety in the area.

"When you have an active street, it automatically deters all the negatives because there's too many eyes on the street watching what's going on," she said.

Nina David, a public policy professor who's leading UD's involvement in Better Block, said the program allows communities to get a more realistic feel for how potential redevelopment projects could play out.

"Oftentimes, it's very difficult for folks to envision what changes to an environment could look like. It's easy to put it on paper and tell people, 'Let's shut off a lane,' " she said. "But it's completely different to actually shut off that lane and show what's the impact on traffic going to be. This is kind of what this project is about. It's a demonstration tool."

David said she's received a suggestion from a Wilmington City Council member to enact the Better Block project on North Union every year and expand the targeted area.

Brian Raughley, owner of the Dead Presidents, has welcomed the changes.

"I think it would be great for all the businesses on the block ... to give us a snapshot of how things could look, to give us some visuals and some momentum going forward," he said.